Toyota: Styling busts Sienna’s ‘boring’ image

[blackpearl]

The 2011 Toyota Sienna has new styling and an improved engine.

It’s time to stop calling the Toyota Sienna a minivan. There’s nothing “mini” about the comfortable and roomy interior of this nearly 17-foot-long vehicle.

Maybe it’s time to stop calling the Sienna boring, too. As a new, third-generation van with arguably its best exterior styling ever, upgraded interior and a new engine, the 2011 Sienna is noteworthy.

It’s the first Sienna with a fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine, and therefore ranks second best among vans in gasoline mileage with a 19-miles-per-gallon city rating and 24 mpg on the highway. Only the 2010 Mazda5, which also comes with a four-cylinder engine, has a higher federal government fuel economy rating in the segment. But the Mazda5 is smaller and lighter weight than the Sienna.

The Sienna also retains its all-wheel drive feature — the only one of the traditional minivans to do so.

Best of all, the Sienna’s base manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, is reduced from 2010, thanks to the four-cylinder engine. The base 2011 Sienna starts at $25,070 and has the 187-horsepower four banger, automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. The lowest-priced V-6-powered 2011 Sienna, which has the same engine as last year’s model, starts at $26,310. This is up from the $25,350 starting retail price of the V-6-powered 2010 Sienna. The lowest starting retail price for a 2011 Sienna with all-wheel drive is $31,940. All-wheel-drive Siennas come only the V-6.

The Sienna’s sales have declined over the years, putting the Toyota van in fourth place last calendar year in U.S. sales in the segment. But the new, attractive styling, which includes flared sheet metal at the fenders and a bolder front end, surely help the Sienna shake its previous bland look.

The ride is still very compliant and comfortable for folks who don’t want to feel much of anything from the road beneath them. The test 2011 Sienna LE with four-cylinder engine even rode gently over speed bumps.

The vehicle rides on the same platform as last year’s model. But the front strut suspension and rear torsion-beam axle suspension are retuned to keep the body more controlled and less wallowy.

A new sporty Sienna — the SE — comes with a firmer ride, 19-inch wheels and tires and revised power steering. It starts at $31,360. Note that despite the positioning of the SE as a sporty van, it comes with the same six-speed automatic transmission and 3.5-liter, double overhead cam V-6, with 265 horsepower and 245 foot-pounds of torque at 4,700 rpm, that’s in other V-6 Siennas.

The test LE Sienna, however, had the new 2.7-liter, double overhead cam four cylinder that produces 187 horses and 186 foot-pounds of torque at 4,100 rpm. Mated to the six-speed automatic, the engine was quite capable and surprising for its strong power delivery. It could be easy for many drivers to forget that there’s a four cylinder under the hood, especially in city traffic where so many vans are used daily.

On country roads where it needed to pass other vehicles efficiently, the test Sienna performed well. There was more engine noise during these situations, and the van didn’t jet right past others. But power came on responsively, nonetheless, and was confidence-inspiring, even if I did notice shift points from the transmission now and then.

Fuel mileage was good, averaging 20.9 mpg in travel that was 70 percent on city roads and 30 percent at highway speeds.

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Saturday, July 24, 2010
By Ann M. Job THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[gold94corolla]

I'm starting to see these on the road..... and that front end just isn't working for me. But I was happy to see the Audi-like LED tail lights!!

[92paseobuild]

its a swagger wagon